Plant Pathogenic Fungi Overview

Study Notes

Achlorophyllous: Lack chlorophyll, meaning they cannot photosynthesize and must obtain food from other sources.
Eukaryotic: Possess a nucleus enclosed within a membrane.
Heterotroph: Obtain their nutrition from organic matter, either living or dead.
Reproduce mainly by spores: Can reproduce both sexually and asexually through spore formation.
Nutrition by absorption: They absorb nutrients from their environment through specialized structures.
Spore-forming microorganisms with branched filamentous vegetative structures: Have a characteristic filamentous structure called hyphae, which can be branched.
True nuclei and cell walls: Possess a nucleus and cell walls, which are primarily composed of chitin.
Cell wall: Typically consists of glucans and chitin (Eumycota) or glucans and cellulose (Oomycota/ Stramenopila).
Eukaryotic, uni- or multinucleate thallus: Can have one or multiple nuclei within their body, which can be haploid, dikaryotic or diploid.
Vegetative thallus is typically a filamentous nonmotile mycelium or hyphae: Their body is made up of a network of hyphae, which are filamentous structures without the ability to move.
Hyphae can be coenocytic or septated: Hyphae can be either continuous with multiple nuclei (coenocytic) or divided into individual cells with septa (septated).